By Prudence Minayo
She is referred to as “Mrembo wa Laikipia” meaning ‘the beauty of Laikipia’, but Catherine Waruguru is more than that. She is the current woman representative of Laikipia county, having won the seat in the 2017 general elections. It is through hard work and determination that she is successful today. Life wasn’t always easy for the young legislator growing up but she pressed on with the desire to succeed on one side and her encouraging grandmother on the other.
At some point, her grandmother thought she would be an evangelist and she even did a course in Theology but that was not meant to be. Instead she joined the murky world of politics and has been active since 2013.
Age
In an interview with DiasporaNews 9 months ago, Cate stated that she was 33 years old.
Education
Cate attended Kanyama Secondary School in Mathira Nyeri county followed by Karatina Institute of Theology in 2007 where she did a Diploma in Theology.
In 2010, she joined Kenya Institute of Management for a Diploma in Management. She then joined Karatina University for a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and graduated in 2016.
Currently, she is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Management and Innovation at KCA (Kenya College of Accountancy).
Background
The Laikipia woman representative was born in the central part of Kenya in a humble background. She was raised by her grandmother, Catherine Wandia, whom she credits for making her into the person she is today.
“My grandmother is my greatest pillar. She taught me that I could be anything I wanted to be – married or not, from whichever background. She taught me that I did not need money to be successful. You need an idea that works, a clear mind, and to make people believe in you. They will invest in your idea,” she was quoted by Jacqueline Mahugu of diaspora news.
About her mother, Beatrice Waruguru, Cate only remembers seeing her last in 1995, then while she was in form one and once again in 2003, two days before she passed away.
Career
Before joining politics, she was Nanyuki zone Access Kenya’s manager. Access Kenya is a Kenyan company that specializes in internet service provision with its headquarters in Westland, Nairobi.
In 2013, the TNA party (which merged with a number of other parties to form the Jubilee Alliance) whose leader was president Uhuru Kenyatta, nominated her to the Laikipia County Assembly. This made her one of the youngest nominated MCAs in the country.
In 2017, she vied to become the Laikipia Women representative and won. She credits her early success to God and is very happy with the far she has come.
“Being a young woman with no godfather and no money and yet winning the woman rep position in 2017 was one of my happiest moments. From being a nominated MCA to getting elected – I was so young – out of 13 women,” she said in an earlier interview.
As a politician, she can be described as strong and fearless. She is pushing for a cancer bill with the hopes that it will succeed so that many people fighting cancer can access treatment at an affordable price here in the country. Waruguru also started the Fanikisha Youth Program which enables youths who did not complete high school to acquire skills through training institutes. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, her office helped by providing elders in Laikipia with tanks, and sanitizers, masks and beginning a feeding program.
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Ditching Tangatanga Brigade
The beautiful legislator was a member of ‘tangatanga’, a political grouping associated with deputy president William Ruto. She shifted her allegiance from the DP to president Uhuru Kenyatta after she accused the former of not keeping his promises.
“We have been busy going round doing harambees and going to churches. In some cases, what was promised is not delivered. When I accompanied Ruto to Laikipia he promised several buses to schools and we are still waiting for them. Other regions are busy doing development projects and I have decided that I will not take my people to the Opposition,” she quoted by the media.
Marriage
The Laikipia women rep is married as a second wife to lawyer Kiprotich William Kiget and together they have two children. Their marriage came into the limelight after Sunshine Hotel in Kericho refused to allow them to share a room unless they showed their marriage certificate. She promised to sue the hotel for the humiliation and discrimination. The media went wild with these rumors and for a while she trended with all sorts of headlines hitting social media.
The legislator has no problem with being in a polygamous marriage and has previously stated no one has the right to play God and to judge her.
“I will challenge my good friends. Most of them I know they are married and they have their marital wife or husband but wako na mpango zao,
You will realize that I am better off if I know this is the man that I want to be with. I would like anybody to challenge me and tell me whether or not I am casted to go to hell because I am married as a second wife,” she told KTN’s Michael Gitonga.
Lover
Tangatanga blogger Dennis Itumbi shared photos of a woman in bui bui he alleged to the Laikapia Woman Rep. According to the blogger, Hon. Cate Waruguru stormed the compound in the company of her new boyfriend with the intention of throwing the ex-wife of her lover out of the house. The post of Itumbi read:
